


Losing What You Didn't Know You Had

by antigrav_vector



Series: birthday ficlets [1]
Category: Captain America (Comics), Iron Man (Comics), Marvel, Marvel (Comics), The Avengers (Comics)
Genre: Angst, Identity Porn, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Slash, Presumed Dead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-21
Updated: 2017-01-21
Packaged: 2018-09-19 01:30:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9411452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/antigrav_vector/pseuds/antigrav_vector
Summary: Tony's plane's gone down, and Iron Man isn't responding. Steve isn't sure what's going on, but it can't be good.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [laire (laireshi)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/laireshi/gifts).



> “There are two tragedies in life. One is to lose your heart's desire. The other is to gain it.”  
> ― George Bernard Shaw
> 
> A (somewhat late) birthday ficlet for laireshi. Unbeta'ed, but with thanks to Domon for input.

The Mansion was tense when Steve got back from his morning run in Central Park. Everything was quiet but for the news broadcast running in the kitchen, and that was enough to have Steve's hackles up in an instant. The Mansion was normally filled with all manner of chaos, thanks to the superhero team living there. "Jan?" he called out, "Mr. Jarvis?"

As he stepped into the kitchen, he found everyone crowded around the television, and they hushed him viciously. Jan hovered above Hank's shoulder, her tiny wasp form almost literally buzzing with the emotion in the air, and Jarvis' hands were clenched tight around the edge of the counter top. Thor stood a short distance away, the air around him crackling ominously. 

When Steve paid attention to the broadcast, the reason for the tension came clear. _"-- millionaire is presumed dead after his plane went down in the waters of the Pacific Coast. It's currently unclear what caused the crash, but rescue efforts are underway--"_

Steve had heard enough. He strode purposefully out of the kitchen, making a beeline for the workshop. He knew Iron Man had been around just before he'd left for his run. There had to be some kind of explanation for this. Iron Man was supposed to be Tony's bodyguard, after all.

When he got to the workshop on the basement floor, though, the lights were out and the door locked up tight. There was no sound coming from the large room, not even the quiet whirr of machinery that Steve could hear, even when the door was shut and it was empty.

He considered breaking in, then cued his Avengers identicard instead. "Iron Man! Report!"

There was nothing but silence over the line.

"Iron Man!"

That wasn't a good sign.

It was possible, Steve had to concede, that Tony had managed to get a call out to Iron Man before his plane went down, and that Iron Man had gone out to help him. But why hadn't Iron Man called for the team?

If there had been real trouble, Steve knew, Shellhead would have contacted them. He had in the past.

Something was very wrong, here, and he didn't know what. Steve scowled and took the stairs back up to the ground floor three at a time, then continued on up into his room.

His footlocker took no time at all to open, but he hesitated. By the time he could get suited up and to the Californian coast, the search would likely be over. But on the other hand, it really didn't sit well with him to let some other group search for Tony without the Avengers' assistance.

"Cap?" Jan peeked in around the frame of his door. "You alright?"

"I-- No, not really." he forced his shoulders straight. "But first things first. We need to get a hold of Iron Man, and try to get Tony back."

Jan raised an eyebrow at him. "That's what emergency personnel are for."

"You can stay home, then. I'm going." Steve pulled his costume, then his shield out of his footlocker and stood. "Whether or not the team comes with me."

Taking a breath and forcing himself not to think about the very real possibility that Tony was dead and Iron Man had gotten hurt badly enough in his defense that he hadn't been able to call the team. That Iron Man might also be--

He cut off the thought, swallowing against the way the thought made his throat go tight.


End file.
